Animalistic Nature
by Gomjibar22
Summary: Naruto is taken by Danzo and trained to be a weapon for Konoha by capitalizing the traits given to him by the Kyuubi. But what will Konohas weapon do when faced with freedom?


Animalistic Nature

Naruto is taken by Danzo and trained to be a weapon for Konoha by capitalizing on his animal traits given to him by the Kyuubi.

XxXxX

I have taken back Animalistic Nature from Ketsueki-Ken. Unfortunately she will no longer with us. May she rest in peace.

XxXxX

This is a Naruto story with ideas taken from the manhwa "NOW". If your wondering, NOW is a Korean manhwa (Korean version of manga) written by Sung-Woo Park and Naruto's fighting style and parts of his personality will be based of the character Cho-Ryung.

Disclaimer- I don't own this story

XxXxX

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"**Demon/Jutsu**"

XxXxX

Sarutobi looked out of his office window at the village below him. The sun was setting bathing the village in an orange and red glow. Lights were on below and a festival was underway.

'It's been six years already. Minato you would be proud of them. Look how quickly they've recovered. The scars are still there but thanks to your sacrifice they are healing' thought the smiling Hokage.

Turning back to his desk the aged Hokage had just a few for pieces of paperwork to complete before he too would join the crowds below in their celebration.

Moving through the usual requisition for resources and pausing to reflect on the death certificate for a fallen shinobi, he finally reaching the last document on his desk. It was the registration request for new ninjas in the Root program run by his rival Danzo.

The man had to go through the Hokage to bring in new root members but that didn't stop him from trying to do it at the most inconvenient time. Opening the folder Sarutobi saw that today Danzo was finalizing two members training and placing them on active duty in root.

'Better than last year' thought Stabuto to himself. The previous year Danzo tried to 'recruit' half the genin class into the root training program, hoping that in his rush to get out of the office, Stabuto would sign the paper without even looking at it.

The first candidate was a boy of 10 years of age. Competent in all fields, he specialized in light based attacks to blind opponents. Given a little training he would be a very formidable opponent.

Continuing to read his profile Stabuto glanced over the psyche report. Paranoid, anti-social behavior, but he was completely loyal to Konoha and Danzo. The boy was also an orphan of the Kyuubi attack and was picked up by root when he showed the right credentials at the beginning of his time in the ninja academy.

Taking out his pen Sarutobi approved the registration of the boy into the ranks of Konoha ninja. He would be able to handle the level of pressure and training required of the root anbu and his mind should be strong enough not break under the pressure.

Looking at the next profile, the smile faded from Sarutobi's face. Staring back at him from emotionless eyes was the face of a six year old by with sun kissed blonde hair and whisker marks on his cheeks.

'So my boy, are you ready to begin your service to the village?'

Sighing, Sarutobi began to read to read over the report as he remembered the day he first allowed Danzo to have Naruto.

_**Flashback Six Years Ago…**_

It was the day after the Kyuubi was sealed within Naruto by Minato. The boy's mother, Kushina, died shortly after giving birth to him, leaving the boy an orphan.

Currently the boy in question was laying quietly in a basket on the center of a circular table in the council's room. Stabuto held the final say in the boy's fate, but even he didn't know what to do.

"I say we should kill it now while we have the chance" said one council member. "If we kill the boy the Kyuubi should die as well and we will never have to deal with it's threat again."

"But what if killing the boy will release the Kyuubi instead of killing it? Plus are you willing to sacrifice the life of an innocent child" asked another council member glancing at the boy.

"One more life amongst the hundreds that are already dead, and the thousands that will die if the demon would attack again" said a female council member. "But you do bring up a valid point. Killing it now might release the demon again."

"Then what do you propose that we do?" asked Fugaku Uchiha. "If it escapes then there would be nothing to stop it!"

"Would there be nothing to be able to stop it, Uchiha?"

From his seat Danzo stood up shakily. His arm and eye were destroyed by the Kyuubi but he didn't want to see Naruto dead. "We can not kill the child. If we did we would be throwing away a golden opportunity for Konoha. I propose we train the container as a weapon for Konoha."

"And how would you propose we do that Danzo-san?" asked Hiashi.

"From my research I have discovered that there was once one other person who housed the Kyuubi as a jinchuuriki. Along with personal details about how she behaved and lived, I found a detailed training regiment designed to capitalize on the traits the Kyuubi bestows upon its host."

"I propose that you give the container over to Root and we will train him to take full advantage of these traits for the good of Konoha. From what the records indicate the previous container turned out to be a perfect weapon for her clan up until her death" stated Danzo as he looked at Naruto.

"But wouldn't training it be dangerous? What would happen if it tries to rebel?" asked one council member fearfully.

"Kumo has two jinchuuriki, Suna constantly creates one for every generation, and the other villages have their own or are pursuing the creation of jinchuuriki. It would be foolish to leave ourselves so open. Think of this boy as the first in a line of Kyuubi jinchuuriki loyal to Konoha and unbiased by any clan affiliation" said Danzo still standing.

Silence filled the council room as everyone thought over what was said.

"As much as I hate to say this, Danzo-san does make a valid clam" said Sarutobi from his seat at the head of the table.

Thinking it over for a few minutes, Sarutobi came to his conclusion, "We will go with Danzo-san's proposal. As of today, Uzumaki Naruto will be in the hands of Root.

_**End Flashback…**_

There were times when Sarutobi regretted his decision to hand Naruto over to Root, but those thought were quickly squashed by the thought that this was what was best for Konoha. For the safety of the village some sacrifices have to be made, Minato's sacrifice had made that clear.

_**Flashback One And A Half Years Ago…**_

Sarutobi walked down the halls of the Root training building, observing how their training was progressing. The training was much harsher than the normal academy training as it was geared not only for training skills but also destroying the individuality of its participants. But for the kids put through it, it was the best chance they got.

Only orphans who possessed the right aptitude were admitted into the program and so far the members coming out were excellent shinobi, even if their loyalties were to Danzo more so than to Konoha itself.

Coming to the stairs, Sarutobi descended down into the basement. Down here is where the rigorous training of the most dangerous candidates was done. Currently there was only one participant, Naruto.

From his previous visits Sarutobi knew what to expect. The boy was slowly being broken and turned into something resembling an animal more than a human. Whether that was from the Kyuubi or the training, Sarutobi didn't know.

As per root training requirements, Naruto could read and write, and even speak on occasions too, an added bonus to root but not a requirement.

The fighting style he was being trained with was both as much a mental as a physical style. To master it, one must 'connect' with their inner animal, something that Naruto was proficient at.

The style was made up of combining chakra to hand and feet attacks to increase the amount of damage an attack would cause. Similar to the Hyuuga fighting style, it differed in the ferocity and destructive power involved in it.

The forms have the user crouching low to the ground allowing the user to walk on all fours/crawl along the ground and attack and doge with ease from that position. Developed during the era of clans, it was made specificity to fight the Hyuuga clan with great success against other fighting styles.

The principle behind the being on the ground is that the user can use the ground to launch himself at the opponent from multiple angles while leavening little of their body exposed to a frontal attack. Also, being on all fours increases the user's connection to their inner animal in a similar way the Inuzuka gets in touch with their inner animal.

Reaching the basement, Sarutobi ran into Danzo standing in hallway waiting for him.

"How goes the training of the boy Danzo-san?" smiled Sarutobi.

"It's progressing faster than expected. The healing powers of the Kyuubi are really helping to speed up his training regiment along. We are now just about to apply the final part of the taijutsu style he's been learning. You are welcome to observe" said Danzo as he walked into a room to the right.

In the center of the room was a vat of boiling liquid that was giving off the smell of burnt wood, soil, and acid.

"What is this for?" asked Sarutobi.

"For the taijutsu style to work properly the hands and feet of the user have to be hardened so that they can withstand the force of impact while at the same time delivering extremely powerful blows" said Danzo smiling. "It took us a while to get the formula right, but once it's successfully applied his power will increase."

Continuing he said, "I guess the user could always wear gauntlets and boots, but to combine the power of the style along with the mobility and flexibility that the user has with unencumbered limbs this needs to be done. He will be able to move his limbs normally, it's just that this will allow them to survive high velocity impacts and be more resilient to cuts and other damage. The only trade off is that his feeling in the hands and feet will be dulled a little bit, but not completely gone."

"Once it is applied to Naruto, will you apply it to other root members?" asked Sarutobi as he walked around the room with Danzo.

"That is something to decide on in the future" said Danzo as he gestured Sarutobi.

The two men watched as the process began. Naruto was hanging from a chain in the center of the room before his hands and feet were lowered into the boiling liquid. At first he tried to hold in a scream but soon cries of pain escaped his lip.

Off to the side of the room Sarutobi and Danzo impassively watched the process as Naruto squirmed and cried out in pain.

When the process was over Naruto was removed from the vat. His hands up to a couple of inches past the wrist and his feet up to a few inches past his ankles were dark brown with the nails on the hands and feet turned black.

While on the outside Sarutobi looked on impassively, on the inside he was racked with regret. Only by saying that it was for the good of the village was he able to let it go on.

_**End Flashback**_**…**

Taking out his pen again, Sarutobi approved of Naruto become a shinobi of Konoha.

'This is for the good of the village'

The next day, Danzo stood in his office accompanied by two boys. The older one of the two was dressed in plain black shirt with back pants with the normal shinobi equipment attached. The only unique thing about him was the flashlight attached to the front of his shirt as well as a lantern on his waist.

The other boy was a little more unique. Despite his young age you could tell that he was both small and skinny for his age with lean muscles covering his entire body.

He had on the standard dark blue shinobi pants and a black tank top. The pants went down to his shins where they ended in gray wraps that continued down to his ankles and part of his feet, leaving is feet bare. His arms were similarly covered in wraps, from just above his elbows down over his hands, leaving the fingers exposed.

On his knees and extending down a little were tan and brown knee guards and round his belt were the standard equipment pouches. However on both legs there were weapon holsters, instead of the standard one on the right leg.

"So these are your newest members, Danzo-san" said Sarutobi looking to two boys over. "What is your assessment of their skills?"

"As it said in the report" said Danzo a little annoyed, "they are both ready for active duty. He (gesturing to the older boy) will make a good support and ambush ninja while he (gesturing to Naruto) will make a good tracker and assault ninja. They have sworn loyalty to Konoha and are ready for your approval."

Pausing for a moment Sarutobi continued to observe the two boys before saying to Danzo "I agree with your assessment."

Turning to the boys Sarutobi asked, "Do you swear your loyalties to the Village of Konohagakure and to serve it until death takes you?"

"Hai Hokage-sama" responded both boys in unison.

"Then I accept both of you as shinobi of Konoha" smiled Sarutobi and soon they were dismissed form his office.

XxXxX

_**Nine Years Latter…**_

Two root anbu moved silently through the forest surrounding Konoha. Their mission successful they were returning home.

Both had on the standard plain white mask worn by root operatives with the one on the right having red wavy red lines on cheeks while the other had red lines coming down through the eyes and onto the cheeks.

Dressed in a black outfit with his midriff showing, the root member on the right suddenly stopped and crouched down onto the tree.

His partner, dressed in a black tank top, black shorts, gray wraps covering his palms up to his elbows and part of his bare feet up to right below the knees, and a small dark gray backpack that opens on the sides strapped tightly to his back, he landed silently next to him on the branch.

Without saying a word, the two root anbu waited.

The forest was silent for a moment before the very faint sound of people walking to Konoha could be heard.

Hiding themselves further they waited for the group to appear. Coming throught the forest a group of four people could be seen.

"Come my youthful students! We are almost home!" cried the leader in a tight green spandex suit.

"Hai Guy-sensei!" cried what looked like the man's clone.

Behind the pair came two girls. One had her hair in four puns and had a giant storage scroll tied to her back over her gray coat. Next to the weapons user cam a girl with pink hair, a red shirt, black shorts and a medic smock on.

The two anbu instantly recognized these people. The pink hair girl was the apprentice to the Hokage, while the other people were Tenten, Lee, and Guy, all members of Team Guy.

"And thank you again Sakura-chan for coming with us on this mission!" exclaimed Guy as they approached where the two anbu were hidden. "It was kind of you to take over for Neji-kun while he was busy."

Smiling, Sakura waved off the compliment, "It was nothing. I wanted to get out on a mission anyway and you gave me the perfect opportunity."

"I guess it would be ruff for you to get out on missions, being the Hokage's apprentice in all."

"You are an example of what hard work can accomplish! We should all strive to be so dedicated to out chosen calling!" exclaimed Guy as he turned to face the chunins before him. "Don't you agree anbu-kun?" he said, looking directly at the two not-so-well-hidden root members.

Not even bothering to respond, the two root members disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

"What was that about?" asked Tenten. "I didn't even sense their presence and then the off and disappear like that."

"Ah, those I believe were root anbu members" said Guy solemnly. "Taken at a very young age they are trained to be nothing but weapons. Officially they have been disbanded, but the surviving members are still in service of Konoha."

"Do not take their rudeness personally" said Guy in a more cheerful voice. "Now, last one to Konoha must run ten laps around the village!"

And with that, he was off, followed by Lee, and two very motivated girls.

XxXxX

A few days latter, Sakura was busy going over the medical files of another chunin when she was summoned to the Hokage's office.

Upon entering the office, she found that instead of being passed out or drunk like she often was, Tsunade was awake an alert with Kakashi standing at attention in front of her.

Not even waiting for Sakura to ask her what she wanted, Tsunade passes her the scroll on her desk.

As she read over the scroll, Tsunade spoke. "The letter just arrived on Suna's fastest messenger hawk. You two," she said motioning to Sakura and Kakashi, "will travel to Suna with two anbu."

"There I want you to try to save Kankuro, or at least identify the poison used. Once that is known you four will then aid Suna in the retrieval of the Kazekage. Team Guy will be deploying later today to aid you in this regard."

"Who will the anbu members be?" asked Kakashi.

"The only ones available are two former root members. Their codenames for this mission are Paint and Fox. They will be waiting for you at the south gate. You have one hour to prepare. Dismissed."

Quickly, Kakashi and Sakura prepared for the mission and made their way to the south gate. As he approached the gate, Kakashi reflected upon his last remaining student.

She had turned into an excellent shinobi, more powerful and skilled than he would have initially thought. While he admit that he never trained her skill wise all that much, he did impart values and ideas upon her, even after she began training under the Hokage.

She would often seek him out, asking advice or someone to spar with when Lady Tsunade was to busy or drunk.

Her other two teammates, Kakashi reflected on sadly, did not turn out the way he would have liked. Sasuke, in his desire for revenge, defected from Konoha and joined Otokagure. His other student, Gin, would have had a promising career as a ninja, but in his attempt to stop Sasuke, was gravely injured and died a week latter in the hospital.

Kakashi broke from his musings just at the two root anbu arrived. From the description he got from Tsunade, Fox was the one with the wraps around his arms and legs and short blond hair, while Paint was the one with this midriff showing and black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Fox, Paint" he said nodding to each on in turn.

The two anbu members said nothing in reply but nodded their heads to Kakashi and Sakura.

"Alright, let's get going."

XxXxX

It's a sad event that brings me to write this story again. I had initially given this story to Ketsueki-Ken, but as I said at the top, she is no longer with us. After reading what she wrote, I decided to try to re-due this story almost entirely.

I will try to address the problems the previous incarnations of this story have had and I will continue to write it. I apologies to the readers who have bounced back and fourth between me and Ketsueki-Ken, it was not my intention to cause you any annoyance.

On another note, the backpack Naruto has on, try to visualize something like the water holders you see the solders wearing now days only a little wider.


End file.
